SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: July 2006
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Inflatable space module launches
(Jul 14, 2006)
An inflatable spacecraft that could form the basis of a future space
hotel has blasted into space. The Genesis craft has been built by
commercial company Bigelow Aerospace, set up by hotel tycoon Robert
Bigelow. The folded experimental module launched from Siberia on a
converted Russian intercontinental ballistic missile.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Astronauts finish final spacewalk
(Jul 13, 2006)
Astronauts on space
shuttle Discovery have completed the third and final spacewalk
of the current mission. Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum headed outside
on Wednesday to practise repair techniques for the ship's heat shield.
They were testing a sealant for fixing cracks in wing panels which
must be able to survive searing temperatures when the shuttle returns
to Earth.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Model of inflatable space hotel set to
launch
(Jul 12, 2006)
An inflatable spacecraft designed to test technology for a future
space hotel is to be launched from Russia on Wednesday. "Everything
is on track and scheduled for launch," Robert Bigelow told New Scientist
in a prepared statement. Bigelow is the founder of Bigelow Aerospace
in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, which is behind the inflatable test vehicle.
Called Genesis I, it is set to launch from Russia's Dombarovsky missile
base in Siberia.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Earliest black holes bent the 'laws' of
physics
(Jul 12, 2006)
Black
holes in the early universe may have circumvented a law of physics
to grow rapidly to colossal size. The finding could solve a longstanding
puzzle over why such massive objects appeared so soon after the universe
began. The new analysis, by Marta Volonteri and Martin Rees, both
at the University of Cambridge, ties up all the important factors
involved in the growth of a black hole and concludes rapid growth
is possible.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
High drama spacewalk ends in success
(Jul 11, 2006)
In a high-drama spacewalk on Monday, a pair of NASA astronauts overcame
an issue with a loose jet pack to make crucial repairs to the International
Space Station. The jet packs are designed to whisk astronauts
back to safety should they float away from the ISS and into space.
But once Mike Fossum had helped his partner Piers Sellers secure the
jet pack, the two completed their work preparing the ISS for the expansion
planned during future shuttle missions.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Key Indian satellite launch fails
(Jul 11, 2006)
The launch of India's heaviest communications satellite has failed
after the rocket carrying it (a Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle) veered off course and exploded. The
Insat-4C satellite weighed more than 2,000kg and was expected to significantly
enhance India's telephone and business communications.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Space shuttle cleared for return
(Jul 10, 2006)
The Discovery space
shuttle has been cleared for re-entry to Earth next week after
NASA officials gave its heat shield a clean bill of health. Analysts
at mission control in Houston had spent days looking at images for
possible damage caused by Tuesday's lift-off from Cape Canaveral,
Florida. But they said several nicks and spots seen were no cause
for alarm.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Mini solar system could reveal hidden
dimensions
(Jul 9, 2006)
A tiny, artificial solar system could reveal hidden spatial dimensions
and test alternative theories of gravity, a new study suggests. If
the system's "planets" moved slightly differently than expected from
standard gravity, it would signal the presence of new physical phenomena
– which have proven very difficult to test.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Discovery docks after 'backflip'
(Jul 7, 2006)
The space shuttle Discovery
has docked with the International
Space Station (ISS) after a two-day trip from Earth. It arrived
at the orbital outpost at 1052 EDT (1452 GMT), and the hatches between
the two craft were opened around 100 minutes later. Discovery performed
a "backflip" before docking so the ISS crew could inspect the ceramic
tiles on its underbelly.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Bizarre neutron star is old before its
time
(Jul 6, 2006)
A neutron star
that behaves like it is millions of years old but was born just 2000
years ago has scientists scratching their heads. Neutron stars are
super-dense spheres of neutrons left over after massive stars die
in supernova explosions.
They weigh about as much as the Sun, but are just one or two dozen
kilometres wide.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
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